Shawdesh Desk: In the wake of massive crackdown by law enforcers on illegal drug and drug smugglers, the gangs of drug smugglers have turned to the neighbouring border of Agartala in India as a safe route for ferrying across the banned drug item “Yaba”.

“Considering the land and water ways touching Teknaf in Cox’s bazaar vulnerable to smuggling, the smugglers have now selected the Agartala border as a suitable transit to transport the contraband item, detective sources said.

On Friday, Indian Border Security Guard (BSF) seized a huge haul of Yaba tablets numbering around 1,68,500 pieces worth Rs85 millions from a hideout along the India-Bangladesh border.
Officials of Border Security Force (BSF) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) accompanied by the para-military troopers seized the consignment from a house at border village Matinagar-Rayermura under western Tripura’s Sepahijala district just before being smuggled into Bangladesh via Tripura, BSF official said.

“Acting on a tip off, we along with DRI officials cordoned off the house of one Ishan Bhuiyan at Matinagar-Rayermura village and later recovered the drugs contained in two cartons wrapped with black polythene,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of BSF C.L. Belwa told local journalists from India-Bangladesh border.

He said the drug consignment valued at Rs85 millions was about to ferry across the border and just before that BSF and the DRI officials seized the drugs.

“The house owner Ishan Bhuiyan and his two associates Tunu Mia and Soyan Mia managed to escape before BSF troopers and other officials reached the border village.

“However, DRI officials have launched a search operation to nab the smugglers,” said Belwa, who is also the Public Relations Officer of BSF.

Subsequently, two small cars were also seized from the house of Ishan Bhuiyan, who has been involved for years in illegal trade between India and Bangladesh. The Yaba tablets, a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, contained a dangerous chemical compound and are used as a high dosage of drug by the people mostly youths in India, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries.
According to the BSF and intelligence officials, the Yaba tablets and various other drugs including heroin and brown sugar are being smuggled into the northeastern states and different other Indian states, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from neighbouring Myanmar.

The police chiefs of eight northeastern states last month decided to intensify their efforts to curb the drug menace as the region, bordering China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, have turned into a corridor for drug smuggling.

For not enough patrolling system by the local administration and other law enforcement agencies, such deadly drug yaba is being smuggled into the country from the neighbouring Myanmar through different land and water ways of Bay of Bengal.

In most cases of smuggling of drug items through land routes, such consignment of drug is often seized by law enforcers.

After smuggle into the country through Cox’s bazar from Myanmar, the banned yaba is dispatched to other parts of the country including capital Dhaka and Port city Chittagong.

Organised gang of drug smugglers having link with some dishonest local influential political leaders and dishonest law enforcers are controlling such immoral trade, detective sources said.

For this reason, law enforcers are not succeeding in taking measures against them. A high official of drug control directorate (Intelligence) said the drug smugglers avoid those routes which they believe vulnerable for smuggling drug items.

According to the Home Ministry, through 612 bordering points of neighbouring India and Myanmar, different types of drug items including yaba, phensidyl and heroin enter the country.

Later, these banned items are spread out fast to other parts of the country.

RAB Deputy Director (media) Major Raisul Azam said a number of drug traders are regularly being arrested with drug items from different parts of the country.

They are also being awarded various terms of imprisonment on charges of carrying drug. But most of them again get involved in the same business after coming out of jail on bail, he added.

A section of people, especially the youths of the rural and the urban areas, are being highly addicted to Yaba, Heroin, Phensidyl and Pethidine, directorate of narcotic control (DNC) sources said.

Deadly claws of such drug addiction is jeopardising the family life and social peace. Due to its negative impact, various offences like murder, mugging, robbery, rape and hijacking are on the rise.

It has been alleged that law enforcers just play the role of on-lookers instead of taking action against the drug traders.